BENDIGO Art Gallery has unveiled plans to host a unique photographic exhibition in April.The exhibition American Dreams features images from the world-renowned George Eastman House photography museum in New York, and will be an Australian first.The exhibition includes 80 of the most iconic photographs taken during the 20th century as well as original shots by 35 of the world’s most celebrated photographers, including Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Harry Callahan, Robert Capa and Imogen Cunningham.Bendigo curator Tansy Curtin, who worked closely with George Eastman House developing the exhibition, said the images demonstrated the extraordinary ability of the artists and their pivotal role influencing the evolution of photography.“Their far-reaching images helped shape American culture, and impacted on the fundamental role photography has in communications today,” she said.Through these images we can see not only the development of photography, but also some of the most powerful social documentary photography of the last century.”Ms Curtin said each of the works showed the dramatic transformation that affected people during the 20th century including affluence, degradation, loss, hope and change.The role of photography in nation-building is exemplified in Ansel Adams’ majestic portraits of Yosemite national park, Bourke-White’s Chrysler building and images of migrants and farm workers during the depression.“We see hopes raised and crushed and the striving for the American Dream,” she said. Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan said the gallery was thrilled to have been given this unprecedented opportunity to work with an unrivalled photographic archive.“American Dreams represents one of the most important and comprehensive collections of American 20th century photography to come to Australia,” Ms Quinlan said.George Eastman House holds more than 400,000 images from the invention of photography to the present day.George Eastman, one-time owner of the home in which the archives are housed, founded Kodak and revolutionised and democratised photography around the world.Eastman is today considered the grandfather of snapshot photography.It will be the first time Australian audiences have been given the opportunity to engage with this vast archive.